Angel With a Cause
by TheLonelyMan
Summary: I recently heard of a fan theory that suggests that Ella Lopez may actually be Azrael, the Angel of Death. I like this theory, and want to explore it the best way I know how: by writing a new story.
1. Chapter 1

Forgive the cliche, but it was a long, dark stormy night in Los Angeles.

Douglas Birchman, aka B.D., was a man of few words with a long rap sheet. He had already been incarcerated for armed robbery and possession of an illegal firearm, and had just jumped parole, meaning he would be locked up for good if they ever caught him again.

But B.D. wasn't known to be capable of much long-term thinking. Tonight, his only desire was to net a quick payday. And the fastest way to do that in his mind was to find some poor, helpless idiot walking down a deserted alleyway at night and mug them for all they were worth.

He had settled into a quiet spot behind a Dumpster, a mask over his face and a gun in his hand, one eye peeking through the cans looking for a target. And lo and behold, one appeared before him.

Based on the short height, he guessed it was a woman. Her face was completely concealed by the hoodie and scarf she wore, but her hands were in her pockets and she didn't seem to be that aware of her surroundings. _Perfect_.

He waited until she was within a couple feet of the cans before jumping out. "You wanna live, sweetheart? Give me your money!"

The woman held her hands in the air, seemingly shocked. As soon as B.D. asked for money, she went into her pocket and pulled out a small bundle. B.D. couldn't make out what it was, but he was sure it was the money.

"Now bring it over here."

Her hands still held high, the woman approached him. Pleased, B.D. lowered his guard. It proved to be a fatal mistake.

As soon as the woman was within close enough range, she struck his torso like a bolt of lightning. B.D. found a large knife sticking out of his chest. The life began to drain from him like someone was ripping his soul from his body. In five seconds, his lifeless corpse fell to the ground.

A nearby streetlamp began to crackle with life, producing just enough light to show strange shadows on the wall. As the woman reached down to pull her knife from B.D.'s chest, the image of two, large feathered wings on her back flashed across the exposed brick. And just like that, she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, LAPD officers were taping up the scene of the crime. Detective Chloe Decker was already busy examining the deceased, identified as Douglas Birchman by his parole officer.

It was a stressful day for Chloe. She was still dealing with the aftermath of her divorce from Dan, none of her fellow officers seemed able to provide her with emotional support, her daughter Trixie was in the middle of a "Frozen" phase, and, worse of all, her best forensic examiner wasn't there to cheer her up with a witty, nerdy retort.

She turned to Officer Fernandez. "Where's Ella? She's always here before me."

Fernandez shrugged. "You didn't hear? Ella called in this morning saying she was going to be late to work. Something about needing to deal with a personal problem."

That struck Chloe as odd. Sure, she didn't know much, or really anything, about Ella's personal life. But Ella never came in late to work unless she was 100% incapacitated by a stomach bug. And she hadn't been sick in months.

"Problems, Detective?" _And then there's him..._

Lucifer Morningstar walked up behind her, a tall cup of who knows what in his hand. Usually, Chloe could deal with him since he had actually proven himself to be useful in several previous cases. But today?

"Lucifer, I don't have time for this. Ella's missing, and we need to find this guy's cause of death."

"Well, what's holding you back, Detective?" He stepped over to Birchman's body and whipped off the protective cloth placed over it. "Get in there and start doing whatever it is you do."

Sometimes, Chloe wanted to shoot him. She already had once. But they were in public. So she settled for shoving him out of the way and taking a hard look at the victim's body.

Birchman's mask had already been removed, showing his ugly face contorted into a surprisingly peaceful expression, like he was pleased to finally be free of his miserable life. There was also a large red stain on his chest where blood had been pooling. It seemed obvious that he had been stabbed. No defensive wounds, so it had to have been someone he knew. And the wound wasn't messy or gapping, but small and clean. Yet from the pattern, Chloe deduced that the murder weapon was larger than a penknife or a switchblade. Which meant the killer had to have known what he or she was doing...

"Out of the way, out of the way, forensics coming through!"

Ella crashed through the police line like a hurricane and landed right next to Chloe. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, but still looked like she had just jumped out of bed and raced down to work. And judging from the smell, she hadn't remembered to use her toothbrush either.

Chloe carefully backed herself away. "Ella, where have you been?"

"Sorry about that, Decker. I must have overslept or something, but I didn't want to get yelled at by Lieutenant What's-his-Name, so I said I had a bug. Then my car nearly ran out of gas, which is weird because I'm sure I still had enough last night to get here today, and then I needed some coffee, and the line was really long, so I bought a five-hour energy and chugged it behind the wheel, which made me super-hyper and come to mention it where's the body I really need to get to work workworkwork...

Her words were becoming increasingly slurred and unintelligible. Chloe made a note in her mental guidebook: _Do not let Ella have_ _caffeine. EVER._

Grabbing Ella by the shoulders, she shook her furiously, like a blender full of iced milk. As soon as all the excess energy and excitement was out of Ella's system, she returned to normal.

"What just happened?"

"You spazzed out. Oh, and it looks like this guy was stabbed by someone wielding a knife with a long blade. They knew what they were doing, so I'm guessing this must be premeditated in some way."

"Um, yeah, sure. I'll see what else I can find on the body."

"Detective!"

Lucifer walked up with a terrified-looking old lady on his arm.

Chloe smirked. "Don't tell me this is your latest one-night stand."

"Oh come now, Detective. It's not my fault women are attracted to my endless charm and charisma. After all, I'm like-"

"Walking heroin. I'm heard this one before. Now who is she and why is she here?"

"Well, Betty here says she saw the murderer. I've checked her out and she appears to be telling the truth, so why don't you go ahead and ask her your police questions?"

Chloe turned to Betty. "Is this true?"

The old woman took her time getting the words out. "I saw..saw..the Angel of Death!"

The entire body of police glanced over at her. Even Ella, who was normally too absorbed in her work to hear anything.

"Ma'am, calm down. You saw the Angel of Death?"

"Yes, yes! He hid his face, but I saw them! I saw his wings! He revealed them after he stabbed that man! Like he enjoyed it!"

She grabbed the front of Chloe's jacket. "Please, you have to believe me! Angels and demons walk among us, spreading their evil wherever they go!" Another officer grabbed her arm and led her away. "We have to band together to destroy them before its too late!"


	3. Chapter 3

Back in the lab, the team reconvened after a stressful morning.

"Well, aside from the religious nut-" Chloe paused after noticing Ella grasp her crucifix necklace. "We should probably start establishing our suspect list. Ella?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Based on our witness statement, I say our suspect is likely male and short."

"I mean what does the forensic evidence say? Is there a problem I should know about, Ella?"

"No, no problem, Decker! It's probably just the energy shot. Give me a few." She took a deep breath.

"Alright. So far, I have nothing to go on. No fingerprints, no trace DNA, no pictures, nothing I can use to establish who this guy is."

"Is there anything you can tell us?"

"Well, I was able to get a match on the blade used to commit the murder from the wound pattern. It's deep, but the cut isn't that big. And the only blade I know of that can inflict such precision is...the Blade."

Lucifer, who had been listening in, replied: "The Blade is currently stored somewhere where no mortal, much less a bloody angel, can find it..."

Just then, his phone ran. After taking it, his face fell. "That was Amenadiel. My dear brother just informed me he's lost track of it. Again."

Having heard all this, Chloe's eyes shot daggers at her partner. "So you have something to do with this, Lucifer?"

"Detective, you need not worry. The Blade is harmless in untrained hands. We just need to find it."

Ella chimed in. "What about the Angel of Death Betty mentioned?"

"She clearly needs help. There's no such thing as an Angel of Death. Now lead the way, Lucifer."

As they left the room, neither noticed Ella's eyes start to glow a fiery red. _I can't let them know. Not yet. Not before I find her._

As they drove through the city, thoughts began to run through Lucifer's mind.

Just recently, his mother, in the guise of Charlotte Richards, had begun to establish herself as a presence in both his and Amenadiel's lives. And while he didn't always appreciate her butting into all of his life choices, he did want to try to repair the relationship between them. But now the Blade was loose.

The Blade in question belonged to Azrael, Lucifer's sister and the literal Angel of Death. It was so lethal that Uriel, his late brother, had stolen it for the express purpose of killing Charlotte, who he despised. Lucifer had been forced to kill him with it to save Chloe, but in truth, he had also done it to save his mother. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he was still her son, and sons had a biological instinct to protect their parents. _Thanks, Dad._

But now it was in the wind, and worse, some poser in a hoodie had gotten hold of its power, driving him to endless bloodlust. Lucifer had seen its power firsthand. Not too long ago, Chloe's ex Dan had tried to slay him when he took hold of the Blade.

They needed to find it. And then he had to make sure that no one ever found it again.

Back at the station, Lieutenant What's-His-Name popped into Ella's office to ask her a question about a different case. But she wasn't there.

He turned to the closest officer. "Where's FE Lopez?"

The officer chortled. "First, I don't think anyone calls her that but you, sir. Second, I think she said something about stepping out for a bit. Detective Decker called in a tip about a possible location on the murder weapon, and she went to go check it out."

"Should we send assistance?"

"Nah. Ella's the best we have. She can handle it."


	4. Chapter 4

Lucifer and Chloe had spent all day trying to find the Blade. They had checked every spot Lucifer had suggested, including Lux, the penthouse, his private warehouse, the homes of everyone who owed him a favor, the homes of everyone he had slept with, etc.

Chloe was tired and bored out of her mind. She didn't really know what was so special about this "Blade", and she didn't really care, but Ella had declared that it was the murder weapon, so she had to find it.

"Lucifer, what exactly is this Blade and why is it so special to you. And why does Ella know about it, but not me?"

"Well, Detective, the Blade is a...family heirloom that I prize very dearly. You might even say it's...magical, in a way. And the only reason Ella knew about it was because she helped me...clean it for proper storage or whatnot."

"Ella knows how to do that?"

"Yes, you should really ask her some other time that isn't now, Detective. Because right now, we need to keep looking."

Lucifer was an odd bird, that much was true. But he was acting very weird today, and Chloe reminded herself to look into the matter as soon as she returned to the precinct.

Just then, she felt her phone ring. It was Lieutenant What's-His-Name, probably looking for an update.

"What's the issue, Lieutenant?"

"Just calling to confirm a location on the murder weapon."

"Presently, there isn't one."

"Are you sure, Detective? FE Lopez said you'd sent her a location already."

"Ella? I didn't say anything to her. Where is she?"

"I thought you might know?"

Chloe shut off her phone in disgust. First, Lucifer, then Betty, and now Ella. What was wrong with everyone today?

Suddenly, a beat cop flagged her and Lucifer down. "Detective, we've got another murder near the docks. In broad daylight!"

Without waiting for her partner, Chloe jumped out of his car and ran down the pier, to where the body lay. She recognized the victim as Ricardo Sanchez, a carjacker wanted for assault and theft, but who had managed to evade capture for weeks.

The cop came up from behind her. "Witnesses told me he was just standing there when this guy in black walks up and stabs him in the gut. Before anyone could react, he just vanished."

"Was there a struggle?"

"If so, then it was a short fight."

Chloe took a quick look at the body. Nothing seemed out of place aside from the same wound pattern and look of contentment similar to the first victim. But then her eye caught something.

Next to the body, inside one of Ricardo's beefy hands, there was something glittering. Chloe carefully extracted it with her tweezers.

It was an ID badge. But not just any badge. An LAPD badge. And the name on it was very, very familiar:

"ELLA LOPEZ, FORENSICS".

Chloe ran back to Lucifer and jumped back in.

"What's the matter, Detective?"

Chloe picked up her phone and called the Lieutenant.

"I need an APB on Ella Lopez in connection with the murders of Douglas Birchman and Ricardo Sanchez."

"What are you talking about, Detective?"

"I don't know how, I don't know why, but Ella has something to do with this. I just found her ID in the hand of the second victim. And you told me she vanished earlier today based on a lie."

"Understood, Detective. We'll find her."

Unbeknownst to both Chloe and Lucifer, a stranger they both knew was watching them from a nearby rooftop. She was hidden underneath several layers of black fabric, but she still heard every word. The jig was up. It was time to step out of the shadows.

And yet she still couldn't bring herself to hurt them. They were her friends, her colleagues. But then she remembered all the trials and tribulations she'd suffered. How long she'd waited for the chance to do what even the great Uriel could not: destroy the Goddess.

Nothing else mattered. Not her human identity. Not the things she'd achieved. Not her friends.

If they persisted in interfering with her purpose, then she would kill them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chloe would have run like the Flash to get to Ella's house if it had been at all possible for her to do so. Fortunately, Lucifer was a pretty good driver, and he knew the fastest routes to get around town. They reached Ella's place long before anyone else did.

Her gun in hand, Chloe led the way up the stairs to the door. She checked the knob. It was unlocked.

As the door slowly opened, she entered a cold and dark foyer. "Ella! It's me. If you're here, come on out and explain what's going on before the rest of the force arrives. Because you know they won't care what you have to say once they know you're involved in this."

Lucifer followed her, and felt compelled to add his own soundtrack. "Miss Lopez, I understand why you might be so stabby-stabby, so please do show yourself so we can avoid any further bloodshed."

Chloe turned to him. "Wait. You know why she did this?"

"Well, I-"

Suddenly, a heavy book was smashed against the back of Chloe's head, knocking her out cold. Ella, panting wildly, tossed the object aside to reveal the Blade of Azrael in her hand.

Lucifer held his hands up. "Ella, dear, I know this isn't you. It's just the Blade talking. Now I know you didn't mean to kill those two idiots-not saying they didn't deserve it-but you need to stop."

Ella let her hand drop, like she understood what he was saying. But then her eyes flashed red. "Ella's not home, Luci."

Lucifer could barely contain his surprise. "Sister?"

Azrael gave one of Ella's charming little smiles. "Yes, it's me, brother. And I'm so happy I finally found you."

Shedding her jacket and shirt, which left her wearing only Ella's bra, she let her enormous feathered wings stretch free. "That...feels much better. No more having to hide in this skin sack or behind the facade of dopy little Ella. Now I can reveal my true form."

Lucifer began to feel the rage building inside of him. "Azrael, what did you do with Ella?"

"When dear old Uriel stole my Blade, I came to Earth to find it. But he knew. Before I could find a host body, he arranged for Ella to be shot by some human cockroach. That way, he ensured I would fall into her weak body and be powerless to retrieve my Blade."

"For countless days, I had to learn how to act like her. All the stupid little comics, TV shows, everything she loved, I had to know it so that I could assume her identity. It was the only way I could hide from Uriel. And when the time was right, I got her transferred to another precinct. Where I met you, Luci, and your human pet. Oh, how I enjoyed our time together!"

"So does that mean you'll surrender?"

"No! Now that I have my Blade, I will finish what our brother couldn't. I will cut down that heathen Goddess and smite her in the name of our Father! At last, he will be free of her evil!"

Lucifer cocked an eyebrow.

"Sorry. I had to play a lot of Dungeons and Dragons. It's actually one of the few useful things humans have invented."

"Interesting, sister, but I can't let you hurt her."

"Really? Are you going to kill me, like you did our brother?"

Being reminded of this memory made Lucifer hesitate. And with that, Azrael launched herself right at him.


	6. Chapter 6

When Chloe opened her eyes, she saw three things. First, Ella's house looked like a tornado had passed right through it. There were even dents in the walls that looked to be about man-sized.

Second, Ella was lying unconscious on her back, her face and chest covered with dried blood. Around her were-not joking-what looked to be dozens of white feathers.

Third, Lucifer, also covered in blood, was staggering as he tried to keep himself on his feet. He was panting like a prizefighter after 13 rounds.

Walking over to Ella, he picked her up in his arms. "I'm sorry, Azrael, but I have to do this." And with that, he vanished. Just then, Dan arrived with the police. "What happened here?" Then he noticed Chloe and yelled for the paramedics.

For the next three days, Lucifer did not show up for work at the precinct. When he did return on the fourth day, he looked like a man who had just buried his favorite cat.

Chloe did not press him for answers about what she had seen, as she sensed he was in great emotional and physical pain. The lab techs had analyzed the blood and feathers found at the crime scene, but all of their results were negative, as though the materials themselves were not of this world. Ella had disappeared, and her case was well on its way to being closed for lack of evidence.

After about a week, however, something miraculous happened. Ella entered the precinct as though nothing had happened to her. Chloe asked her where she had been and why she was only now coming back to the job.

"Well, I had some kind of seizure or something, and I had to spend a week in recovery at this really expensive health care place that Lucifer paid for. He was with me the entire time."

"Do you remember anything?"

"Not really."

"Okay then, Ella. But from now on, I want you to be more honest with me about any problems you're having. Understood."

"Yes, ma'am."

Lucifer himself refused to discuss what had happened, but later than evening he retreated to his penthouse and poured himself a glass of strong whiskey. Laid out on the table before him was the Blade of Azrael.

"I hope you're doing well in Hell, sister. Maybe one day I can find it in my heart to free you, but you harmed someone I care about, and that is unforgivable." He said this as he held a picture of him and Ella hugging, which he secretly kept under the penthouse bar.

Picking up the Blade, he placed it in a special compartment behind a portion of the wall he was having redone. "Let's just hope I never have to look at this ugly thing ever again."

Deep in the bowels of Hell, Azrael was chained up in one of the cells of the damned. With no physical host, she had taken to using Ella's face and body to represent herself in astral form. "This won't hold me, Luci. Especially not when our dear cousin finds out what you did."


End file.
